Recent developments, such as the creation of a migrant slave markets or the horrific human rights violations in migrant detention facilities in Libya as well as a sharp rise in the number of deaths at sea and in the Sahara expose a deterioration of the situation of migrants and asylum seekers that try to reach European shores from Africa. The EU shares responsibility for this situation as the migration policy of closing her outer borders, financially and technically supporting third states for this purpose, (mis)using financial aid as leverage and establishing return and cooperation agreements have fostered these circumstances.
The presentation will outline recent developments in EU migration policy and explain how cooperation between the EU, its Member States, and third countries has been a part of the fortification process while resulting in massive human rights violations putting core values of the EU such as respect for human dignity and human rights, freedom, equality and the rule of law at risk.